


After The Dusk Rain, Fireflies

by GypsumLilac



Category: Undertale
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Female Reader, Female-presenting nonbinary Papyrus, Femslash harem, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Possible Polyamory, Possible smut, Reader is an OC, Research, Sans and Papyrus are around the same age in this one, This is kinda a character study for an OC from another story I really like, female sans, lesbian harem, not a blank slate, not a self insert either, religion/religious elements (Hinduism)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2019-11-14 02:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18043904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GypsumLilac/pseuds/GypsumLilac
Summary: After being thrown out of your guardians' house, you have nowhere to go. But your friend, a tsundere chick who you know only from racing, offers you a place to stay in return for cleaning services.I can't think of a compelling summary. This is just another stereotypical harem anime.





	1. I Didn't Wish For Such An Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not actually Hindu or Indian and I am attempting to write this story from the perspective of someone who is ethnically Indian and who is trying to follow Hinduism and Indian culture despite lack of information and being brought up in a different culture. I will probably definitely make mistakes. Due to worldbuilding, though, I have reason to think that it won't be too much of a problem. If you have any questions or complaints, please comment. 
> 
> Kalika is an OC of mine that came to life about a year ago when I started writing UnNamed. She is one of Papyrus's love interests in UnNamed, and I really like her and wanted to figure out her characterization better. So this is kinda a character study for her. 
> 
> (I removed the lengthy world building exposition, if you would still like to read it then I will put it in a comment.)
> 
> warnings in the end notes. :D hope you enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All chapter titles are taken from Beautiful Nightmare by Hachioji-p

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNINGS IN THE END NOTES. Nothing too bad, but if you're squicked by blood/pain, you might wanna check them.

Rain pelts your leather graphene-melded jacket, sliding off your helmet as you zoom through the air, your rocketbird responding instantly to your every command through the functions in the helmet and jacket connecting to the exo-spine that curls up along your back from the seat. _They_ say robis are death traps. Your boss Shou agrees with _them_. They don't understand. Flying on Keikaku is the only way you can feel truly free. And yeah, you could crash and die horrifically. But fuck it. You don't  _care_.

Hot tears drip down your cheeks as you fly over the black metal buildings wetly shining in the brief glimpses of the dusky sky behind the heavy clouds. Normally, you could enjoy this. Normally, this would be one of your few escapes from reality.

The reality is, everyone except maybe one person hates you. And that one person... you don't even know her name. She just races you sometimes. The reality is... nobody would care if you _did_ crash and die. Not _them_. Not Shou. Not your racer friend. 

Your HUD blinks with a call sign, _they_ finally realized you're missing. You ignore it, growling through your tears. It's the one night of the year _they're_ supposed to leave you alone.

Tonight... you can't enjoy anything. Chandra is... gone and you'll never see him again, not like he was. Because you neglected him like _they_ always neglected both _their_ adoptees. If you could go back... if you could play with him that one day like you usually did instead of focusing on school to try to appease the unappeasable... you could have kept him from wandering into the woods and getting lost.

 _They_ didn't even let you perform grieving rites for him. _They_ mocked it, saying _they_ as Romans had pride and could not let _their daughter_ participate in a "heathen" religion. _Fuck_ _them_. You did it in secret. There was no body to cremate, since it was believed he fell down a hole. You went to the hole and left a candle and a bowl of water. You refused to eat anything for forty days that was not satvic food. You refused to go out of the house except to visit the hole where he died to pray and sing over it. And though it wasn't much, though you couldn't find out what exactly Hindus were supposed to do, though you weren't sure if you were Hindu enough, it... it helped. You hope it helped his soul receive _moksha_ , liberation.

And now, once a year, on the day of his death, you return to grieve him.

A robi zooms past with a rumbling whoosh. * _RACE ME_!* A bud of joy rises at the sound of her voice crackling in your helmet and you crush it.

* _Not now_.* You swerve away from her as she doubles back. You're not sure it's allowed for other people outside the family to grieve. * _Come on._ * But... you don't think Chandra would mind. If anything, he'd be delighted to know you're making friends.

The call sign from _them_ shows up on your HUD again. _Fuck_ _them._ Why can't they leave you alone?? You answer it as you head over the forest with your friend flying behind you.

* _What the hell, Caelia?? Aurelius?? Today is his day._ * You refuse to call _them_ mom or dad. They're _not_ your parents.

* _Collect your belongings and get out of our house. You've used up your last chance._ * Aurelius says sternly. Of course they'd want you out as soon as it's no longer 'reputable' to keep you in their house. * _You have disappointed us for the last time._ * Yeah, yeah, like you even care. _Good_. You hated their fucking house anyway, all the restrictive rules and oppressive atmosphere. The only good thing about it is that they both were usually away on "business" meetings.

* _Great. I'll be back in three hours_.* You stick your tongue out, ignoring the salty taste of your lips.

* _Now. Or we're throwing everything away._ * 

Your chest physically hurts at those words. Your tablet with all the shit drawings you've done over the years... your secretly custom-tailored saris... the dancing flags you sewed... You... have to go back. You're torn, stopping Keikaku in midair and hovering over the forest. Your friend almost runs into you, but she pulls up beside.

* _Hey. What's Wrong?_ * She asks, concern evident in her lowered volume.

* _I... I'm on my way..._ * It's probably not what a true Hindu would do... but you're sure Chandra would understand. You can go back to the hole afterwards. You hang up on them with a tap of your tongue to the scrollbar and turn to your friend. * _Hey. I know we don't really know each other that well, but would you mind doing me a huge favor?_ *

* _OF COURSE! I, THE MAJESTIC LILITH, WOULD LOVE TO DO A FAVOR AND HAVE YOU BE IN MY DEBT!!_ * Lilith. A small bud of fondness blooms in your chest. You let it be.

* _Kalika. I need you to help me get my stuff from my guardians' house._ * 

Lilith takes off her helmet and scowls at you sternly. You lift yours as well and grimace back. "What Did They Do Now, Kalika??" She demands angrily, using your name as easily as though she's known it forever. You're almost comforted.

"Threw me out. No big deal. I'll... hm..." You'll what... live on the streets?? Not with your saris and flags, you're not... unless you sold them... but you're rather fond of them. "Find a place..." Maybe you can ask Shou to take you in until you get enough to buy an apartment.

"Lead The Way." Lilith growls and you grin wanly, pulling your helmet back on and flying back across the woods to your guardians' home.

When you get there, you ignore your guardians' shocked faces as you lead Lilith into their house. Lilith scowls at them, her metal-spiked jacket, red/black tie dye crop top, and layered black dress pants adding to the punk-doom of her scarred sockets narrowing. Lilith is the first fae you've ever met, and you were terrified for... ohh, about half a second. Your guardians, Caelia and Aurelius, however, do not seem to be getting over pissing their pants any time soon. You smirk and stomp past them up the spiral staircase to your room. Lilith follows after a moment.

"Thanks, Lilith."

"DON'T WORRY, I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE YOU PAY ME BACK..." She grins viciously, sending a delicious shiver down your spine. _Fuck_. You have enough going on right now without developing an attraction to your only friend.

"I know you will." You hunt in your closet for a suitcase and pull out your favorite jewel blue embroidery wheelie suitcase. You got it specifically in case of this event, it can even connect to the back of your robi. You drop it on the pristine rug behind you and hunt some more till you find another suitcase, this one brown.

"YOU COLLECT THE THINGS YOU WANT TO TAKE AND I WILL PACK THEM." Lilith offers. You're unsure for a moment, not trusting her packing skills, but to test her you hand her one of your saris, a golden one with dragons and tigers embroidered on it. She folds it up small and tight in a way that won't leave wrinkles and then places it with a pat in the blue suitcase. You let a small smile play on your face.

"Sure, boss." You start to pick out the clothes you want to keep. Dress pants, saris, work-play shirts, and a couple pairs of shoes, one heavy-duty and one sandals.

Lilith's cheekbones tinge pink when you take out your fluffy socks. "It's Shitty Of Them To Do This To You."She packs whatever you hand to her.

Your own cheeks heat, but you're safe from Lilith knowing. "Yeah. It really was... today's the day my brother died."

" _Fuck_." Lilith hisses, her eyes shooting daggers at the door. "That's Worse."

"Eh. I was planning to move out anyway. They're just shitty in general. It's their fault... he..." Against your will, tears sting your eyes. "Hm, that's enough clothes, I think."

"You Got All Your Favorites?"

"Yep." You move on to your dancing flags, selecting your favorite pair and handing them to Lilith. She examines them for a moment, slightly confused. "Flags. You, uh. Wave them around and stuff." She nods as though she understands and then packs them. You select one more pair, one of the longer lengths. You can't take all of them, as much as you would like to.

Then you get your tablet and stuff it into one of the pockets. Then glance at the closet, considering, your neck heating with embarrassment. "Hm... promise you won't judge me..." You tap your fingers together. 

"I THINK I'LL REFRAIN UNTIL I SEE WHAT I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO JUDGE." Lilith answers with a shit-eating grin. You sigh and go back to the closet, reaching up to the top shelf. Soft fur meets your hands and a smile cracks your lips.

"These... are my stuffed animals..." You pull them all down and turn to show Lilith.

Her cheekbones are flushed dark pink, her sockets wide, and she presses both hands to her jaws. "WOWIE!! CAN... CAN I HOLD ONE?"

"S-sure." You say, pretending nonchalance while your heart pounds out of your throat. _So... adorable...!!_ You hand her your tiger one. She takes it with reverence and pets its head softly, her sockets lighting up with stars. "I... hm... I made most of these."

Lilith looks up and the stars are blindingly beautiful when directed at yourself. "Wow..." She breathes. And then the stars abruptly shut off as she retreats back into the scowling scoundrel of a few minutes ago. "AH-AHEM, I MEAN, THEY ARE QUITE GOOD WORK! HOW MANY ARE YOU TAKING?"

"All of them, if I can fit them." 

"I DON'T THINK THAT WILL BE A PROBLEM." Lilith packs the tiger gently in the brown suitcase. You hand each one to her and she places them each inside after petting them discreetly when she thinks you're not looking.

Then you take a look around your room, making sure you haven't forgotten anything. But you always keep it organized and neat, so you found everything you wanted already. "Let's go."

Lilith takes both suitcases and stomps down the stairs with you following behind. Your guardians back away as she shoots a glare at them.

You and Lilith hop onto the robis and attach the suitcases, then lift away into the pouring rain with a roar. You don't know where you're going, but somehow Lilith has gotten far ahead of you and is headed over the city towards the forest. She's out of talking range. And she has your blue suitcase. You're not sure whether to be pissed or amused as you will Keikaku to fly faster after her.

You catch up enough to be in range and say over the com, * _What gives, Lilith?? Stealing my clothes??_ *

* _YOU OWE ME A FAVOR. I KNOW WHAT FAVOR YOU'RE GOING TO DO. FOLLOW ME!!_ * And she zooms just out of range again. You curse her but follow.

Finally, she hovers over a small cottage in the forest and you pull up beside her to hover as well. * _This your favor?? What am I supposed to do, burn it down??_ *

Lilith laughs, a harsh yet musical sound. * _NOPE. GUESS AGAIN_.* And she starts to lower her robi down. You let your own lower till you land gently on the roof beside her.

She takes her helmet off, her skull shining in the orange dusk-lit rain. "I HAVE A FEW... VISITORS. WE NEED SOMEONE TO CLEAN FOR US. I HAVE DECIDED YOU SHALL PAY ME BACK BY LIVING HERE AND CLEANING FOR US UNTIL YOU CAN FIND ANOTHER HOME."

Your body heats. "Y-you mean it? We barely know each other..."

"YES. THESE ARE THE COORDINATES. GO DO YOUR THING FOR YOUR BROTHER AND THEN COME BACK TO TELL ME IF YOU ACCEPT TO PAY ME IN THIS MANNER OR NOT." Coordinates for the cottage pop up on your HUD.

"I... I owe you."

"I BELIEVE THE POINT OF THIS IS TO PAY ME BACK. IT'S NOT FREE. NOW GO ON." Lilith huffs.

Your robi rises again, and you wave to her. "I accept. Thank you."

"D-DON'T MENTION IT... AND NO ASKING QUESTIONS!!" She yells after you.

"Got it!" You fly off into the cloudy sky as the rain slowly dies down.

When you reach the hole, which is inside a cave, you pull a candle from the saddlebag and a plate and bowl, filling the bowl from a stream. The light drizzle of rain mixes with the warm tears on your cheeks. You setthe candle down before the hole and light it with a little burst of magic, then put the bowl of water by it. On the plate, you put small pieces of fruit from a container.

You sing a song you learned from a book in the library. It's a song celebrating life and mourning loss. You don't know if it came from the heritage keepers or was made by Kigan Hindus, but it has a pretty melody and you have a good singing voice. Your throat chokes up at some point, but you keep singing.

"pretty." A soft feminine voice says from behind you. Your hand goes to the railgun on your hip, recognizing the voice as belonging to one of the most notorious gazia doves on the streets. "i wouldn't do that if i were you. hands up."

 _Fuck,_ You curse, as though things could get any worse... Raising your hands, you turn around carefully. And indeed, it's Arial, grinning her stiff skeletal grin and pointing a railgun at you. "name... prisca decimius..."

You growl at the name that's _not yours._ "Kalika."

She cocks an eyeridge at you. "you think i care? the case file says you're prisca. and you're gonna die anyway, so i suggest you stay silent."

Now you really wish you had asked Lilith to come with... If only to keep watch. But this doesn't make sense, why would Arial have astrike on you when you haven't been running with any gazias for a couple years...? You were an angel, too, one of the lower risk jobs with almost no risk of pissing anyone off since all you did was deliver messages and angels have always been honored as being in a permanent truce.

Unless... Shou. He heard you were thrown out of your house and decided he had no use for you anymore... it's possible, if a bit improbable. "Who sent you?"

"ah ah, i'm the one asking the questions. who sent you?"

Your mind screeches to a halt, gears clattering over each other, fires exploding and the sprinkler system frantically working to put them out. "What..." You say dumbly.

Arial's grin tightens and she aims the gun at your legs. Knees, to be precise. Damn it. "No, seriously, what are you talking about... who sent me _where_?? I just got kicked out of my house, for crying out loud, I don't fucking know where I could possibly have go-" Wait. Lilith. "Uh... but I think I can answer your question if you're asking who suggested I live with her in the cottage in the woods...?"

Arial has a slightly glazed over look, like she tuned out your entire rant. "yeah." is all she says.

"Lilith." You say. The glazed over look disappears at the same time that a crack rings out, your knee jerking back as though punched. Blood trickles down your leg as you stagger against the cave wall. " _Fucking- Arial_ , I'm telling the _truth_!" You spit. Arial only grins and shakes her head.

"I know Lilith. She's not the charitable type."

"I- _owed_ her- a favor..."

Another crack. You lower yourself to the ground, pain invading with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. Your hand wraps around your own gun, but the cold barrel of Arial's presses against your temple. "your story isn't adding up, buttercup."

You snort. Seriously?? That's the best she can come up with?? "Ask- ask Lilith- if you're _such_ \- good buddies..." You glare up at her, unwilling to use magic on her. _Not on any person. Never again._ Maybe you'll die. Maybe you'll be freed. "Lilith did- she did me a favor and- and said I could pay her back... by cleaning- cleaning house for some visitors she- had. I don't get- get how that's any- of _your_ business..."

Arial pulls the gun back, then holsters it. "cleaning. of course. fucking eve never tells me anything..." She looks down at you and her grin wavers for a moment. "lilith is gonna be pissed if you're right... damn it, i hope you're lying."

You take the opportunity to pull your gun on her. "Give me one reason I shouldn't just kill you now."

Arial shrugs. "cause i'm the only bitch who can save your sorry ass from bleeding out. unless you like slow painful deaths in the middle of nowhere."

" _Fuck you._ " You snarl, then gasp and drop the gun as Arial steps viciously on your leg.

"later, honeydew." You could swear Arial would be smirking if she had lips. She presses slightly more weight on your pain-pounding legs and you let out an angry sob. "get up."

"I _can't_. You fucking shot my- _rgh_ , my _knees_ out." Arial offers a hand, removing her foot. You bat the proffered help away and use the vines on the cave wall to struggle up. She grabs your arm and then forces you to take a step forward. You make a wordless growling sob as it jolts every torn nerve in both knees.

But then you're not in the cave. You're in a warmly lit living room and Arial drops you onto the softest rug you've ever felt. You struggle to press your hands against the holes in your knees. "hey, heather, maybe take a look at this one before lilith comes home?" Wait... Heather... as in the _top_ architect in all of Helseki?? How does _Arial_... know _Heather_??

"I AM STILL WORKING ON THE DOG AND HER PUPPIES, ARIAL. YOUR PATIENT WILL HAVE TO WAIT."

Arial huffs. "sis, i might have fucked up. lilith might be pissed at me. also i don't think she wants blood on this rug..."

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SWEARING, ARIAL??"

"fuck, to not to..." Arial grunts petulantly.

You're growing woozy from blood loss. The exit holes you can't cover. "B-bind the wounds, you- dumbass." You gasp out. You really don't want to have to cauterize yourself. But you will if you have to. Dying may have been an option out in the cave, but if this is Lilith's cottage... well, it would be rude of you to die in her living room, on her rug.

Arial turns her grin on you. "nah. think i'll wait for my sister."

It's then that their relationship sinks in. Sisters. They're sisters. Ha, of course.

A door slams distantly. Arial glances guiltily over her shoulder, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her fluffy blue hoodie. "uh... who's that?"

"AYAME."

"and eve. lilith is out with sakura still."

Arial sighs in relief. "whew, thought i was a goner. you two know anything about lilith inviting a cleaner to stay with us??"

"I THINK LILITH TEXTED ME ABOUT A CUTE GIRL STAYING WITH US... I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT CLEANING, THOUGH."

"lilith said she got us a helper."

The voices pound in your head and your body. You groan weakly, and focus your magic. Cauterizing the wounds sucks, but if you're gonna live, you'll have to do it.

Fire focuses in your soul and flushes outward from the entrance and exit holes of the bullets. You mentally flip the safety off, the thing that keeps your own fire from burning you. A scream rips through the air, yours, you dimly realize, but you have to focus, you have to cut it off. The fire ends, retreating back into your soul, and your body is wracked with painful sobs. Words fall like rain around you, but you can't understand any of them, you're fading.

Then... mercifully... numb darkness swallows you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: self-cauterization, death threats, gunshot wounds, using the wrong name (not sure if I can call it 'deadnaming' since she's not trans...), not sure what to put for the problem with her adoptive parents being jerkasses and not allowing her to learn or practice her own culture/religion... I dunno what that's called... anti-Hinduism? maybe racism? help i dunno how to make warnings... oh yeah, and MC is slightly passively suicidal
> 
>  
> 
> Here are the code names for all the skellies:
> 
> Lilith: Underfell Papyrus  
> Eve: Underfell Sans
> 
> Heather: Mafiatale Papyrus, (yes, heather is an actual font.)  
> Arial: Mafiatale Sans
> 
> Ayame: Underlust Papyrus  
> Sakura: Underlust Sans
> 
> Poor Kalika... Kinda rough to be thrown out of your house and then jumped by some gal wanting to kill you all in the same day...


	2. Wake Me Up From This Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warnings in the end notes.
> 
> Kalika kinda had a rough life, and she's still going through the consequences of some of that.

"YOU IMBECILE! I TOLD YOU, SHE'S STAYING WITH US. END OF STORY. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TRIED TO _KILL_ HER, ARIAL!!" Lilith's _beautiful_ harsh voice rings in your head.

"eh, thought her survival instincts would be better. she just rambled on about how cute you were." _Fuck,_ Arial.

"Did- ugh- did not." You groan, pushing yourself up through a cocoon of blankets.

"NO, DON'T SIT UP! YOU NEED TO STAY LYING DOWN" Hm Heather, is it? Yeah Heather. She has a firm but kind voice.

"'m fine, Heather." You groan, wiping your eyes. Cold bones press against your forehead.

"NO, YOU'RE NOT." Lilith says sternly. "MY IDIOT COUSIN SHOT CLEAN THROUGH BOTH YOUR KNEECAPS. IT'LL TAKE TIME TO HEAL THEM PROPERLY, EVEN WITH TWO OF US BEING EXPERTS AND ONE OTHER BEING PASSABLE."

"hey, who the hell're you calling _passable_??" Another voice, with the same harsh edge to it as Lilith's, says. Eve, maybe.

"AND MIGHT I REMIND YOU THAT _NONE_ OF YOU PROVIDED EVEN THE MOST BASIC FIRST AID!!" Lilith continues. "I SHOULD PUNISH _ALL_ OF YOU."

"i still thought they were a gazia dove sent to infiltrate us." Arial defends.

" _YOU'RE_ A GAZIA DOVE." Lilith, however, is not amused.

"exactly. i know the type. fucking bitches, all of'em."

You groan again. " _Stars_ , I haven't ran with the gazias in _years_. Give me a break." Two years, to be exact.

"YEAH, GIVE HER A- WAS THAT A PUN?" Heather asks suspiciously.

"Hm, no." You reply, slightly indignant that they would think you would stoop to such a low-caliber joke.

"OH. GOOD."

Then you open your eyes. And you see four skeleton ladies around you.You nod, grimacing, to Lilith and she pushes everyone back. "YOU DO NOT HAVE TO START CLEANING UNTIL YOU ARE BETTER. FOR NOW, JUST REST." The three others, Heather, Arial, and one who's probably Eve, retreat from the room.

"Nope." You struggle to your feet and bite back a gasp at the twinges of pain in your knees. "I- I'm fine." 

Lilith places a hand on your shoulder, and _damn_ she's strong, you can feel the restrained power behind her grip as she pushes you gently back down. "NO. YOU'RE NOT. STAY HERE OR-" The threat ends abruptly, as though she had second thoughts.

"Or what??" You demand, pushing against her to feel the strength ripple through her glove as she keeps you down.

"OR I WILL GET SAKURA TO SIT ON YOU."

"huh?" A soft lilting voice comes from another room. "who am i sitting on?"

"MY GIRLFRIEND." Lilith replies nonchalantly, still holding you down.

You choke on air, going limp under Lilith's hand. _How?? When?? How did I not know this??_

Lilith's face is oddly flushed. "I- I MEAN. MY FRIEND!! WHO IS A GIRL! WE- UH! ARE NOT DATING AT THIS TIME!! NOR EVER, UNLESS SHE IS INTO SKELETONS AS FINE AS MYSELF, WHICH OF COURSE SHE MUST BE, BECAUSE-"

"Wow, do you want a shovel?" You ask, pretending you're not hurt at all. And that you're not delighted that she implied it's still a possibility.

"WH-WHY WOULD I WANT A SHOVEL??" Lilith demands, scowling in your face. You could lift your head an inch and you'd be kissing her.

"To dig yourself deeper into that hole." 

She backs off, letting you up and crossing her arms. "N-NO?? THE MAJESTIC LILITH DOES NOT FALL INTO HOLES. SAKURA!!"

A sudden weight is over your thighs, a cute rotund skeleton lady dressed in a flowery toga sitting on you as Lilith commanded. The commander herself gives a pleased nod and then leaves the room, shouting for Arial.

"hey, doll." Sakura waves, her sockets half-lidded.

"Nice toga." You test her weight, sensing how much strength you'll need to knock her off. Sakura plops her head on your chest and you huff for air.

"m'just gonna take a nap," She murmurs. "lilith exhausts me." Your brain takes that in the entirely wrong direction.

"Hm, think it would be more comfortable if you slept somewhere else." You poke a finger in her spine.

"nah, here's good." she yawns prodigiously, the scent of nutmeg wafting over you.

You poke more fingers in her ribcage and against her spine, shifting so she's in the most uncomfortable position on top of you. She wiggles, trying to force you back like you're a pillow. "Let me up."

Sakura groans. "lilith will yell at me if i do. she's probably yelling at arial now, i don't want to disobey when she's in this mood." Your fingers run down her spine and she squirms away, wheezing with cut off laughter. "okay, okay!"

"So Lilith's your leader?" You sit up when she rolls off you. Sakura grins from the floor.

"much better. and yeah, she basically is. arial pissed her off by going after you. arial likes to think she's the sole protector and guardian in this house, but really lilith does more to that effect. lilith's gonna put her in her place."

You struggle to your feet, stepping carefully over the girl on the floor and staggering out of the room to find Lilith. "where, uh, where are you going?" Sakura asks with a note of petulance.

"To watch." You say. Arial _shot_ _you_ after all.

"oh. okay, voyeur." Sakura seems to fall asleep. You shake your head and then turn, freezing guiltily for a moment when you see another lady in front of you. She must be Eve. Her grin is too tight to be pleasant.

"where the hell do ya think you're going??"

You smile. "Nowhere."

"why don't you 'nowhere' yourself back onto that couch." Eve steps forward into your personal space, but you refuse to back down.

"What, I can't check out the house I'm going to be cleaning?" You retort.

Eve's golden tooth glints as her grin widens. A heaviness grasps your soul, threatening to shatter the walls you're using to block the still-present pain in your knees. "don't push me, sweetie." She says.

So you push her on the shoulder so that she stumbles back a step. Anger lights in her sockets, but you stride forward, getting into _her_ personal space. "I am going to unpack my things, and then I will find somebody to tell me what I am expected to do, as it is now my duty to clean up after you pathetic fools." You say, your voice as frigid as your soul is hot. You almost continue, a threat on the tip of your tongue, but you sensibly recall that your friend Lilith would probably not take kindly to you hurting her sister.

Eve must see the anger in your eyes, because she backs down. "sheesh, no need to be all dramatic." She says snidely. "but, uh, you sure you want your words getting to lilith? what were they, oh, ' _pathetic fools'_?"

You let a grim smile cross your face. If she's trying to blackmail you, she's hardly succeeding. "If you think she would _also_ like to know you used your magic on me." You reply.

Eve scowls and stomps past you. "oi, potato, move your butt." And she plops down on the floor beside Sakura.

You're free to go find Lilith and eavesdrop on her yelling at Arial. But it's probably too late and you missed the good part. So you do what you lied you would do and you wander the house trying to find your things to unpack them in whatever closet you're staying in.

You find the non-Heather Lilith-look-alike studying books in an enormous library. She's dressed in a flowing fiery-ombre evening gown, and she looks up from her book when you knock lightly on the doorpost. "OH, HEY, SWEETHEART!!" Somehow the pet-name seems completely innocent. "NEED HELP FINDING ANYTHING?"

"Yes, my room? I need to unpack." You tell her, guessing that this is Ayame. From the theme of the names and process of elimination, you're also guessing that she is Sakura's sister.

"AH, OF COURSE!!" Ayame then repeats what you already guessed to be true, and then asks for your name, still holding the book, which you note is called _The Puzzling Nature of the Heart_.

"Kalika." You tell her. "You may keep reading, if you tell me where my room is."

"SURE! IT'S RIGHT BESIDE LILITH'S ROOM." Ayame says. "KALIKA IS A NICE NAME. AFTER KALI?"

"Y-yes." Startled that she knows about a Hindu devi when most Fae are nonreligious, you let your eyes show your confusion.

"I LIKE KALI BEST." Ayame continues. "SHE'S SO COOL!"

"PLEASE, CAN YOU TAKE YOUR ANNOYING FAIRY TALES SOMEWHERE ELSE??" Heather stomps out from behind a bookshelf and glares.

"THEY'RE NOT FAIRY TALES!" You and Ayame yell back in sync, then look at each other.

Ayame giggles. "SORRY ABOUT HEATHER, SHE'S A STICK IN THE MUD WHEN IT COMES TO ANYTHING FUN."

"AM NOT!! I HAVE LOTS OF FUN!! I AM THE GREATEST AT HAVING FUN!!"

"YOU HATE ANIME! YOU DON'T GET TO CALL YOURSELF FUN!!"

"SH-SHUT UP!! THOSE ARE STUPID BABYBONES CARTOONS!!" Heather screeches.

"NYEH, YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO WATCH MADOKA MAGICA BECAUSE YOU'RE AFRAID YOU'LL HAVE NIGHTMARES!!" Ayame retorts.

Heather turns and stomps back into hiding amongst the bookshelves. "WHATEVER. DEBATING MYSELF IS POINTLESS."

"WELL, MI AMOR, I THINK I CAN SHOW YOU WHERE YOUR ROOM IS, SINCE YOU ARE PROBABLY SHAKEN BY THIS BATTLE BETWEEN TWO MASTERMINDS." Ayame winks with an audible clatter.

It was certainly _loud_. You're thankful you don't get sensory overloads like you used to, before Shou. "Lead on." You say.

Ayame takes you upstairs through winding corridors, passing several closed rooms. "OUR BEDROOMS ARE ALL LOCKED, AND YOU WON'T BE REQUIRED TO CLEAN THEM. ONLY THE HALLS AND DOWNSTAIRS." Ayame explains.

Finally, she comes to a room with a skull and crossbones on the door. "THIS IS LILITH'S ROOM. DON'T GO IN THERE." She shudders. "BAD THINGS HAPPEN IF YOU GO IN WITHOUT PERMISSION."

_I intend to get full permission_ , you don't say. Ayame then goes to the door next to Lilith's. "THIS IS YOUR NEW ROOM!! LILITH TOLD US TO PUT ALL YOUR THINGS IN HERE, SO UNLESS ARIAL OR EVE STOLE SOMETHING, IT SHOULD ALL BE THERE."

Well, that's reassuring. You thank Ayame and then step into your new room.

It's _roomier_ than you expected. The walls are a deep red with gradiented orange and black, seeming like firelight cast in a cave. The room is lit with red stones. And the futon in the corner is black with red flowers creeping up over stylized bones. You almost think Lilith planned to have you over. But no, this must just be her style.

Your suitcases are on the floor by the futon. You open the brown one first and take out your stuffed animals, setting them carefully on the floor. The largest one is a fluffy brown rabbit you named Campion after your favorite character in a book you really like. You hug Campion and flop onto the comfortable futon, feeling suddenly drained and exhausted. So much has happened in the past day alone, and you still haven't notified Shou of your change in address.

You hum softly, a poem about Shiva, and gradually fall into a deep sleep. Whatever dreams you have are inconsequential. You don't remember any of them.

When you wake up, for a moment, you think you're back in your former guardians' house and you tense, expecting their voices to shatter the fragile peace built by your rest.

It's not their voices that greet you, however, it's Lilith's. "AT LEAST YOU'RE RESTING." She says. "BUT COULDN'T YOU HAVE DONE THAT DOWNSTAIRS??"

You look up at Lilith, the fierce gorgeous dragon that she is. "I needed to unpack."

Lilith scowls. "FINE. YOU WILL STAY UP HERE UNTIL YOUR KNEES ARE HEALED. WE WILL BRING YOU FOOD."

"One problem." You note. "I'm a human."

Lilith's skull flushes red. "TH-THE BATHROOM IS AT THE END OF THE HALL." She says. "PLEASE KEEP IT CLEAN, AS SOME OF US LIKE TO SHOWER."

"You, Ayame, and Heather, I'm guessing." You say shrewdly.

"A-AND SAKURA, TOO. YOUR ASSUMPTIONS WERE CLOSE." Lilith says coldly. "BUT NO MORE OF THOSE, THEY ARE DANGEROUS. HOWEVER, I AM GLAD YOU HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO MY COUSINS AND SISTER." 

"They all seem like- _interesting_ people." You say. Lilith flashes a sharp look at you. "But, uh, thanks."

"DON'T MENTION IT. EVER. IF THESE IDIOTS HEAR I TOOK YOU IN, THEY'LL NEVER LET ME HEAR THE END OF IT, SO FOR BOTH OUR SAKES, YOU ARE PAYING OFF A DEBT."

"Yeah, alright," You hop to your feet. "Now can you get out so I can get dressed?"

"YOU ARE DRESSED." Lilith responds petulantly. "BUT FINE, IT'S YOUR ROOM." She leaves, and you feel your relatively cheerful mood go with her. Your eyes burn with unshed tears, but you refuse to give in and let them fall. You're not sad. You're not upset that you lost your former living place. You're angry. You're furious that you had to put up with your former guardians' shit for so long. And you're also grateful. Grateful to have a friend like Lilith, as tsundere as she is.

And some of your new housemates seem like they might become friends as well. Ayame, in particular, comes to mind. Sakura and Heather are alright as well.

You unpack the rest of your stuff from your two suitcases. Your tablet is carefully placed onto your futon along with its charging cable, while the rest of your animals are haphazardly tossed on top. Then you put your two pairs of flags into the closet and move to your clothes.

Selecting a pair of loose pants and a matching top, you place those aside and then put the rest of your clothes away in the ornate ebony drawers. You then slip off the sequin-covered shirt and shorts you had on and silently thank the Mother for the mid-thigh length, which saved the shorts from getting holes or blood on them when you were shot.

Pull on the gold/purple-ombre pants, which flow to your calves, and the gold crop top, which barely covers the scars across your chest. Then you take out a mirror and focus on your makeup. You know your own beauty. You're used to using it to get what you want from gazia rats. You don't accentuate your elegant features for _them._ You use gold metallic eyeshadow to offset your deep brown eyes and even darker skin, silver rouge to highlight your strong cheekbones, and deep pomegranate lipstick. You do it for yourself. You do it to maintain a modicum of control over your life. And maybe you do it to knock Lilith down a peg too, what with her always looking so perfect and sexy in her punk clothes and spikes.

When you're done, you sort your animals and place them in formation, then grab your tablet and start playing around.

Your drawings are horrid, mostly, but there are a few you like. You choose one of the unfinished works and start doodling around on it with your stylus. A message comes in while you're busy drawing, so you ignore it. Another comes, a few seconds later. And another.

It's Shou. You switch to the messages tab, ignoring the growing uneasiness in your gut.

-Where are you- -I expect you here next cycle- -Don't test me, P-

You glare at the screen. Fucking _Shou_. Thinks he can control your life. That's not fair, of course, you know it's not fair, you 'ruined' his life after all, but you're still bitter instead of guilty because emotions are complicated and you lost all notions of guilt a long time ago. 

-Yes, sir.- You type coldly. You're not sure what he'll do when he hears you don't live with your guardians anymore.

To lighten your mood and keep yourself from moping around, you take your tablet down to the library, sneaking quietly past Lilith's door so that she won't catch you and send you back to your room. Ayame waves when you peek inside the library and you sit down across from her at the table in the middle of the room.

"Hey," You say. "You look nice." Wink at her. "Like a naga." Her dark blue crop top matched with flowing forest green pants gives off a vibe of sinister beauty.

"TH-THANK YOU!!" Ayame stutters, her face flushing a lovely shade of lilac. "YOU REMIND ME OF A KITSUNE!"

You stare at her, heart pounding in your throat and chest tight like you're about to die. "Excuse you??" 

"Y-YOU KNOW, SEDUCTIVE-"

"Yes. I know." You say icily, blocking off the anger _pain_ and ignoring the part where you started the comparisons. _Oh, princess, you seduce me like a kitsune..._ _Damn him._ "And you look like a blithering moron."

Ayame's face falls in hurt. "IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE IT, WHY DON'T YOU JUST SAY SO INSTEAD OF INSULTING ME??"

Something hot pulses behind your eyes. You stand up and walk out, anger adding power to your steps. A hand on your shoulder stops you before you can reach the door. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG, BUT YOU MUST HAVE BEEN HURT BY MY COMPARISON, SO!! I AM WILLING TO FORGIVE YOU!! IF YOU WILL FORGIVE ME!!"

_Go rot in a cave,_ is on the tip of your tongue to hiss at her. But something stops you. If Lilith throws you out, you'll have nowhere to go. And you have no doubts that she will throw you out if you make trouble for her family.

"I- yeah." You growl, turning to face her. "Fine." It's not really her fault, and the realization of that helps calm the raging tiger in your chest. _Shit_. You just wanted to avoid painful things while here, not be reminded of them. "Sorry." You force the word out, and the admission stabs your pride in the gut.

"I FORGIVE YOU! SEE? NOW WE CAN BE FRIENDS! AND I WILL BAKE A CAKE FOR YOU!!"

"That is not necessary." You grumble, feeling sick at the very mention of sweet food. Your anger has faded, but your chest still feels tight and your throat still pulses loudly. _Relax_. You need to relax. _It's alright, it's all in the past._ _He's not here anymore._ It doesn't make you feel any better. Not when it's your fault.

Ayame gives you a concerned look. You fake a smile and pat her shoulder. "I am going to draw." You say, your voice still stiff. "Would you care to join me in the library, mi amor?" 

Her cheekbones flush lilac again. _Cute_. She follows you back to the library in silence and you both read until late into the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: panic attack/triggered ptsd
> 
> I really like describing beautiful clothes and decor and stuff, so I'm a bit self-indulgent on that, though I do resist describing everything about every single character. I try to leave most of it to the reader's imagination. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> edit: things were happening a bit too quickly, so I'm fixing that.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and/or kudos if you liked!! If you have questions and/or complaints, please leave a polite comment. If you are not polite, I reserve the right to not reply. I don't think anybody will be impolite, though, which is why I'm not moderating the comments. If I need to, I will.


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